


A Change in Career

by B_Ray452



Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Light Is Not Kira, As in its faliures, Canon-Typical Violence, Career Change, College, Communication Failure, Defamation, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, For Misa Misa, Gen, Gender Issues, High School, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Anorexia, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Mental Health Issues, Modeling, Or no grade since he is not around, Peer Pressure, Politics, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Canon, Rumors, Sibling Bonding, Social Anxiety, Social Issues, Social Justice, Social Media, Well not the main Kira, Yagami Souichirou's A+ Parenting, he tries
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2020-10-13 04:36:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20576570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Ray452/pseuds/B_Ray452
Summary: Light finds a different way of starting a social revolution. That isn't to say he likes it. Not at all.One of these days he is going to strangle Sayu (but he'll thank her first).Society, it's many faces, and just how much life can change in an instant.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first FF on AO3! I hope you enjoy it as I look forward to seeing this to it's completed end. I started this fic to improve my writing skills; any critiques, pointers, etc. are encouraged!
> 
> Tags will be updated as the story goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the first chapter!
> 
> Sayu POV

It was a hot summer afternoon, and the Yagami household was in unusual disarray. Cupboards were opened frantically and a rhythmic sound of a knife hitting wood echoed throughout the kitchen.

“Light! Where are the pots again?” Sayu asked as she slammed yet another cupboard closed and stood up on the counter to reach for another.

Light stopped cutting the vegetables and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “I don’t know Sayu”—He rolled his eyes with a sigh and continued chopping—“maybe you slamming it closed some more will help you find it? Also, get down! We don’t need to have another person bedridden.”

Sayu stuck her tongue out at him. “Yeah yeah _Mom_—oh wait, Mom’s sick upstairs! So please keep the mother-henning down okay?” Despite what she said, she got off the counter with a little hop. “Seriously though, where are the pots?”

Light halted his actions and walked up to a lower cupboard, crouching down to open it. He reached into it and grabbed a large pot. Closing the cupboard, he put the pot down into the sink and turned the water faucet on.

Sayu threw her hands up into the air. “Wow, you couldn’t have just _told_ me that? Like, with _words_ Light?”

Light turned his back away from her and with a wave of his hand remarked, “You’re just stalling because you don’t want to clean.”

She grumbled something inaudible to his ears and shuffled out of the kitchen to flop onto the couch. “Cleaning is so _boring_ though. Why couldn’t you clean instead?” She bemoaned into a pillow.

“Because you are terrible at cooking.”

“Hey!” She fumed, sitting up to glare at him, “I so do not!”

Light scoffed, “Tell that to Mom who’s sick from _your_ cooking.”

Sayu let out an ugly, keening sound and laid back down in defeat. With a pout, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her social feeds. A notification message popped up from an application called _Depict!_ and an idea flashed into existence.

With a wide grin, Sayu slowly and quietly sat back up. Aiming her phone at Light, who was cleaning up the counter, she snapped a quick picture of him. She frantically typed away on the phone before shutting it off and putting it in her pocket. She hopped off the couch and walked down the hall. Humming, she skipped to the small storage room in the hallway.

She rummaged through the cleaning supplies and gave mentally gave herself a pat on the back. Perfect revenge! Sayu uploaded the pic to her _Depict!_ account where many of the girls from her brother’s high school followed her. Though her account mainly consisted of fashion designs and the like... it wasn’t like she couldn’t upload something _different_, especially for a little prank! Her friends and acquaintances alike would soon swoon and probably hound him even more with confessions and little love letters.

Though Light would definitely find out and probably not help her with studying… it was worth it! Sayu giggled quietly as she took out a broom and dustpan.

It was a hot summer afternoon, and the Yagami house was in unusual disarray.

And it became even more chaotic when Sayu turned on her phone to check it the next morning.

She blinked rapidly. And blinked again.

Oh—!

She attempted to jump out of bed, but got tangled and landed onto the floor with a thump. However, that didn’t deter her. She untangled herself frantically and threw the covers back onto the bed haphazardly.

Her phone was blown up with messages and notifications from her friends and mutuals, that she expected, but…

She didn’t expect _that_.

Light’s going to be so mad.

Scratch that, he’s going to absolutely _livid!_ He was going to murder her!

Sayu fiddled with her phone, quickly responding to a few of the messages as she walked out of her room and down the stairs. She looked around, only seeing her brother eating breakfast at the table as their mom washed some dishes.

“Anything left for me?” Sayu asked as she sat down across from her brother, carefully trying to maintain a nonchalant attitude. She didn’t see anything out of place with her brother... but she was not going to let her guard down. Just in case.

“Oh yes, some rice porridge is still warm in the pot,” her mother, Sachiko, replied, “and Light made some tamagoyaki! They were very delicious, and I think he left some…?”

Light hummed in response, finishing his dish before getting up. “Yes, there is still some by the rice porridge. You missed out on miso though Sayu.”

Sayu sighed, melting down into the chair. At least she’d get something other than rice “Ugh, okayyy. Can you get me a plate pleeease?”

Light’s mouth twitched upwards at her insistent whining. He went over to the sink their mother was at and started helping her with the dishes, ignoring Sayu’s pleas.

“Sayu, stop that and get your own plate missy!” Sachiko scolded her before briefly smiling at Light for helping her.

This was it, Sayu was going to die a horrible death. Was this karma? It’s too early for her to function, she doesn’t know how her dad can do this. Well then again, it’s not like she sees Soichiro when she stays up late. Did he give up his soul or something to be able to function in the early mornings and twilight hours? Is that what adults do? Is that what Light did to get good grades, good looks, and decent sleep?

If so can she do that please? She would like to not uh, die when Light finds out about the _Depict!_ thing that she is trying to avoid— Oh no nevermind she can’t sell her soul.

Maybe she’ll be able to starve herself at the table before her brother can rip her soul out from sheer anger.

Goodbye life, and hello Shinigami. Sayu would like to at least like to go out in style and not in her pajamas, but Hell hath no fury like a scorned Light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I gave off a sibling vibe between the two. I only have myself and my older half-brother (13 years older than me), and from what I have seen of my cousins/friends. I also wanted to give off a more childish feeling from my writing this chapter since Sayu is only 14/15 in the anime.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this fic to improve my writing skills; any critiques, pointers, etc. are encouraged!
> 
> Tags will be updated as the story goes.
> 
> Light POV

Light noted that Sayu was acting a little out of it, more so than usual in the morning.

She did have her off days, but her falling sick just as summer was beginning would put a damper on many of the plans she had squealed into his ear. That in turn, would ruin some of his own plans. While he didn’t want to watch over her, if she did something that would get their mother mad enough to get their father Soichiro to intervene… Light ultimately wouldn’t be able to deny his father and would have to hear Sayu complain about being “babysat” by her older brother.

Light had to find out why Sayu was acting this way to see if he could fix it.

It wasn’t something about the up-and-coming actor “Ryuga-kun” she was so obsessed with. That would have been obvious the moment she found out. She would have moaned and groaned about it to Sachiko and himself at the table like she usually does with the actor. No, it was probably something she did not want to advertise.

Light finished cleaning up the dishes, waving off his mother’s thanks with a smile. He passed the table to go to his room and raised an eyebrow. Yes, Sayu was still sulking in the chair. She squinted her eyes into a mocking glare at Light's look before rolling her eyes and getting up to finally get breakfast.

Before he could go into the hallway Sachiko called out.  
  
“Light, if you don’t have anything to do today, could you please go and get me some items?” When he turned his head to look at her, she had already held out a brief list for him to take.

He took the list and replied, “Of course, I’ll be back in a bit.”

Usually Sayu would be the one to go out, but ah—

He was at the doorway putting on his shoes when he looked over the list properly. Seems like Mother was expecting Father to be home. It also looks like Sachiko knows his sister is feeling off. She wouldn’t want Sayu to get excited and cheer up because of the list, then become even more downtrodden when he ultimately didn’t come home.

As Light opened the door and walked out, he silently hoped that whatever was bothering Sayu would resolve itself by dinner. Their mother would always comfort Sayu when Soichiro stayed late, and Sayu would always spill out whatever was bothering her. A good dynamic, but not one that helped him when he had _things to do. _ He could only, once again, rely on luck—something he could _never control_—that it wasn’t something his mother would think needed Light to watch Sayu. Or maybe Sayu would somehow not become unglued for once.

Unlikely, but he had to prepare for every foreseeable outcome.

With the door secured shut behind him, Light set outside. It would probably take him at least an hour to get everything and be back if he swiftly got everything on the list.

His idle musings continued throughout the walk to the bus and didn’t cease even when he got to the store. He glanced at the products, grabbing those which he felt were satisfactory and putting them in the basket he grabbed. However, before he could start to head to the check-out…

“Light! Hey Light!”

Light turned his head to the voice and saw a boy from his class.

“Ah, hello Yamamoto!” Light smiled to greet the other boy.

Yamamoto chuckled and clicked his tongue. “I’ll never be able to get you to call me by my first name will I?”

They both shared a laugh when Light shook his head in response.

“Anyway dude,” Yamamoto continued, pushing his glasses up, “I’m guessing you don’t know what’s going on?”

Light’s smile dimmed as his eyebrows furrowed together. “No, what is happening? Anything wrong?”

“No no, nothing like that!” Yamamoto exclaimed. “Well, you’ve never been one to hang around the gossip circles much, but look!”

Yamamoto set down his own basket, and he fished out his phone from his pant’s pocket. Fumbling for the power button, he motioned for Light to come over before opening a message.

Light couldn’t help but get curious so he leaned in closely.

Oh. Well, it was not as bad as he thought.

It was a picture of himself cleaning up the counter and preparing something, probably the day before for his mother. Nothing stood out to him besides him being shirtless with a small bracelet Sayu made on— to make her less whiny of course. Maybe he’d get some looks from the girls at school because of his shirt being gone, but otherwise… why was Yamamoto acting like Light’s life was going to change dramatically?

Then Light noticed a key piece of information. It was not about the picture, but the reaction _to _the picture by people online. Because either Sayu was more popular with her home-made fashion than he thought, or… Sayu was going to rue this.

Sayu was definitely going to regret this when he gets her alone. How much luck can his sister have? What are the odds of _this _happening to her?

Comments and likes flooded the post, people asking about him, people asking about Sayu, people asking about _ the bracelet _ and what other things Sayu made. The comments were mostly people asking about Light though.

He _ did not _ need the extra scrutiny from people. There was a reason why he stopped playing tennis, and it wasn’t because he was unable to.

All of Light’s thoughts were summed up into one utterance, “Ah.” It was all he could really say about what he was looking at.

Yamamoto's lips twitched upwards at Light’s reaction. “Even the brilliant Light is speechless for once? What a day! Hey, do you think they’ll write an article about the sudden fame of Sayu? They did that with that model Misa…”

Light zoned out. He better get the shopping done quickly. He needs to get home and strangle his sister.

She better hope an article isn’t written about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably backdate this later, but I decided to save this for Christmas day for those who dislike Christmas, or the people around them during those times. Also as my present from me to you guys!
> 
> Hopefully I didn't go around in circles with Light this chapter. He is so weird to write? How does one write a character who is smarter than them?
> 
> Still will typically update on Mondays.

**Author's Note:**

> Current Update Schedule for CC: Every Monday when possible
> 
> Check Bio for more information.


End file.
